Answer:
Mrs. Alvarez is making the correlation vs causation error of critical thinking.
Step-by-step explanation:
As humans, we often mistake correlation and causation when superficially analyzing the causes behind something. Causation really proves there is relationship of cause-effect between two things. Correlation shows there is a relationship between things, but not necessarily that one causes the other.
The error Mrs. Alvarez is making is that she sees causation where there is only correlation. She read that students who perform well come from higher socioeconomic families. While that information may be correct, there must be something else that explains why. It can't be that everyone who is rich is also born more intelligent and capable. The two are correlated, as we can see. But why? Maybe it's because richer people attend better schools, having access to possibilities that poorer students don't. If that were to be the case, then it is not the rich student that makes the school better, but the school that makes the rich student better. Mrs. Alvarez's decision would, then, be certainly erroneous.